


feels like home

by TheGrimLlama



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fluff, More Fluff, just about every kind of fluff bunny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2017-07-20
Packaged: 2018-09-12 09:44:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9066388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGrimLlama/pseuds/TheGrimLlama
Summary: Maggie has a secret, and Alex is more than willing to step up.A series of one-shots.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pitch_playbook](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pitch_playbook/gifts).



Something was wrong, Alex could feel it as she rode the elevator to the tenth floor of Maggie’s complex.  It wasn’t any particular thing that set off the feeling, just a collection of smaller, less obvious clues that could easily be misconstrued as Maggie being snowed under by a rough case.  Little things like sending a text early to cancel their lunch date, short, monosyllabic texts that weren’t unlike Maggie, but when Alex showed up to the precinct with take out, only to be told that Maggie called in sick?  That was worrying.  Maggie was a wimp when it came to feeling under the weather.  When she caught the flu a few weeks back, Alex played nurse three nights in a row, while Maggie sobbed into her ginger tea.  Alex was usually Maggie’s first call. 

 

She reached Maggie’s door, noticing that today’s copy of the tribune was still sitting by the door.  Alex picked it up and knocked twice.  Just as she suspected, Maggie gave no indication that she was even home,  But Alex could feel it.  She fished out her keys, fumbling for the spare that Maggie had given her so many weeks ago and unlocked the door. 

 “Hey Sawyer, I brought take out and beer.”  Alex heard a sniffle coming from Maggie’s bedroom, she placed the food on the counter and followed the sound, “Maggie?”

 “What are you doin’ here?” 

Alex found Maggie sitting cross-legged in bed, still in her silk boxers and tee from the night before.  Her hair was still messy from the sheets, but her laptop was open in front of her, and an empty coffee cup on her bedside table, so she’d at least had something today.  ALex looked her over again, noticing the puffy cheeks and red rimmed eyes, “I was worried about you.  Seems like I have good reason to be.  Are you okay?”

Maggie nodded twice, a faux smile stretched across her face, half way through a third nod, her smile failed, and a sob broke free.  Alex was on the bed with her arms around Maggie faster than she thought possible. 

 “Hey, hey… Maggie, what happened?”

Hearing Maggie Sawyer cry was hard for Alex, but seeing her break down completely, was more than Alex expected to find.  So she did what she’d normally do when Kara was having a rough day.  She closed the lid of Maggie’s laptop and coaxed her into the shower with little words of encouragement.  Maggie was more pliable than Kara in this state, following Alex’s instructions and climbing into the bathtub.  

 “I’m gonna go heat up some lunch, when you’re done, come out and we’ll talk, okay?”

 

***

 

When Maggie woke up that morning, she was in a particularly good mood, she had a date with Alex planned for lunch, unless a case got in the way, and even then, that would usually lead them to the bar afterwards.  Her feet had barely hit the floor when her phone rang, the shrill tone grating on her ears as she felt around the bedside table.  The number shown made her giddy with excitement.  “Good morning baby…”

_ “Maggie.” _

She sighed, she was not expecting the booming voice of her ex-husband, “Good morning James.  Where’s Jamie?”

_ “She’s getting ready for school.  I’m ringing to tell you that you’re going to have to cancel your visit this Christmas…” _

Maggie felt her stomach drop, “Excuse me?”  This was the third visit this year that James was attempting to cancel on her. Unfortunately the kind of lawyer you could buy on a cop’s salary was nothing compared to James’s old family money.  

_ “You need to cancel.  I have made plans for Jamie and I’ll be informing her of the decision also.  I don’t want you wasting money on a trip if that’s all you’re vi… _ ”

Maggie inhaled sharply, “All I’m visiting for?  James, I haven’t seen Jamie in nine months!  You’ve cancelled every visitation that I’ve arranged, with every excuse under the God damned sun!”

_  “Maggie, please don’t argue with me.  I have made this decision with my daughter’s…” _

 “Your daughter?  I gave birth to her?  She is my daughter, too!”

_ “Maggie, think about Jamie.  I don’t want someone of your… lifestyle preference interfering…”  _

 “James, I’m about to hang up this phone.  Have Jamie call me after school.”

She hit the hang up symbol, hating that she couldn’t even have the satisfaction of slamming the receiver down like she could at the precinct.  

After a few minutes of blankly staring at the phone, her chest aching, she dialled the number of her Captain, explaining that she was unwell.  He was more than willing to let her take a day or two.  She scoffed as she climbed back under the blankets.  This was gonna take more than a couple of days to get over. 

 

She laid in bed, her mind throbbing, her eyes stinging, her chest heaving at the thought of yet another holiday passing alone.  She replied to Alex’s texts as best she could with blurred vision and shaking hands, cancelling their date certainly added to the stress and fatigue that Maggie was feeling.  

The toxic thoughts plagued Maggie for most of the morning.  She blamed herself for Jamie’s predicament.  She’d married James on a whim.  They were friends, best friends,he loved her, treated her well,k was her rock during the hard months she spent at the academy.  When she found out she was pregnant with Jamie, all of that changed.  He forced her out of work, citing concern for the baby.  She fought him, visiting her OBGYN and working out what duties would be suitable, she didn’t want to be out in the field, she could desk jockey for a few months.  The argument was a bitter one.  James had yelled at her, calling her immature and questioning her reasons for keeping the baby.  Of course, Maggie had caved.  She was hormonal, she was young, she didn’t realise how damaging James’s behaviour was.  

 

Once Jamie was born, Maggie thought James would settle, his attitude would plateau, but no, he continued to question her, the house was never clean enough, Jamie didn’t sleep enough, Maggie never had time for him anymore.  And to be honest, the more Maggie thought about it, James was absolutely right.  She didn’t have time for any of that anymore.  So not long after Jamie’s fourth birthday, she packed up her things, packed up Jamie’s things and moved out on her own.  James was civil at first, apologising for his behaviour, begging Maggie to return, but there was no way she could go back to that kind of toxicity. 

 

James had been enraged when Maggie started dating again, not that she  _ was _ dating again, but that she’d started dating women.  Once Maggie had realised that she was a lesbian, James got his family lawyers involved.  Of course, Maggie sought out the best legal team she could afford on her salary, while still working to put Jamie through school with little support from her ex.  The custody battle was messy, dragging five year old Jamie in front of judge after judge, James’s legal team fighting to prove Maggie was unfit to parent.  In the end, his money had won.  James took Jamie from her, without even packing up her belongings. She didn’t cry, couldn’t cry in front of him, not while Jamie was watching on.  She had to be the bigger person, so she hugged her daughter in the hall of the courthouse and promised to call in a few days. 

 

Maggie threw herself into her work, her knack for solving some of Metropolis’s more… special crimes eventually led to her being moved to National City to help reign in their rising crime rate.  The deal was worked out, that Maggie would get holiday visitations, she’d fly to Metropolis on weekends when James was free.  By the time Jamie turned eight, those weekend were cut back to one weekend per school holidays.  This year, Maggie had seen her daughter in person, just once, on her birthday.  

 

She was tired.  So tired.  Jamie looked more and more sad in every picture she received, their skype calls were shorter and Jamie was less responsive.  Maggie was at a loss and all she could do after that call with James?  Maggie was slowly losing more than just Jamie. 

 

***

Alex watched Maggie shuffle from the bedroom in sweats, her hair hanging wet and heavy down her back.  She gave Maggie a small smile and held her arms out, knowing that she might at least be feeling a little better after the shower.  Her face was visibly less puffy, but her eyes were still dark.  “We… I need…”  Maggie never finished her sentence, just fell into Alex’s open arms with a sigh.  “There’s something you should know.”

It was muffled, but Alex understood it, “Do you want to eat first or…?”

Maggie laughed when her stomach let out a growl, “How about we eat and talk?”

 

Alex passed Maggie two of the beers from the fridge and nodded towards the balcony, “You wanna sit outside?  Fresh air might help a little.” 

 “Fresh air will help.”  Alex could see the trouble lurking behind Maggie’s eyes, there was a worry that she wasn’t used to seeing, so she knew whatever was going on with Maggie, it was going to be big.  They sat at the small table, watching as the sky began filtering through the pink hues of sunset.  “There’s something you should know.”  Alex nodded, urging Maggie to continue with a smile.  “I probably should have told you earlier, but… Usually… most people… When someone finds out they don’t usually stick around, you know?” 

Alex chuckled and took a sip of the beer in front of her, “Well, maybe if you’d cut to the chase, I would…”

The mood lightened a little and Maggie’s voice was much stronger when she began to speak again, “I have a nine year old daughter.  Her name is Jamie, and she lives with her father in Metropolis.”

Alex felt a weight lift off her shoulders, she’d been waiting on something a little more life changing… Well, life threatening.  “Is she okay?” Alex asked, carefully feeling out the situation in front of her so as not to stress Maggie back into the depression that she was in earlier.  

 “Her father keeps cancelling my visits.  I haven’t seen Jamie in over nine months, I was just so excited to go and see her, to spend Christmas with her for the first time in years… But James…  He thinks that I’m an unfit parent thanks to certain  _ lifestyle choices. _ ”

Alex stifled the growl that itched at the back of her throat, “Oh, so he’s a homophobe.”

 “That’s putting it lightly.”

Alex reached across the table, needing to give Maggie some comfort.  “Has he got full custody?  Are you able to contest it?”

Maggie sighed, “I guess I could, but… I lost custody because I couldn’t afford a lawyer with resources like James could.  If I tried again… I’d just lose her all over.  I can’t afford the legal fees that it would take to actually get her back.  A cop’s salary isn’t the most generous…”

A thought flicked through Alex’s mind, “And if I had a solution to the funding issue, would you be opposed to hearing it?”

 “Babe… I don’t want your…”

 “Maggie, Kara and I have a friend, she’s a lawyer…  Used to work for the U.S Army… Now works mostly out of the DEO…  I can talk to Lucy, get some advice?” 

Maggie squeezed Alex’s hand, “How are you not running for the hills, Danvers?”

She contemplated Maggie’s question, “Because you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Sawyer…  You… kinda feel like home.”

 

***

Lucy Lane was a Godsend.  Maggie was sure of it.  Alex had told Lucy a little about Maggie’s problem with James and turned up after dinner with a bottle of wine and her laptop.  She worked tirelessly, always on the phone to someone from another firm or government department, to work  _ something  _ out for Maggie.  

It was a week out from Christmas and Maggie and Alex had a rare day off together.  Alex, unlike her sister, left all of her Christmas shopping to the last minute.  So off they went, to brave the hellish crowds of the mall.  

 “What did you get Jamie?” 

Maggie shrugged, “I usually call her and let her tell me what she wants, then I transfer the money to her account, or buy it on online.  I wish I could have one Christmas where I could just wrap all her gifts.  A real Christmas… Not just an Amazon box turning up on her doorstep.”  Alex grinned widely, making Maggie feel slightly suspicious of her girlfriends line of questioning, “What?”                                                                      

 “I spoke to Kara… You remember telling me about Jamie’s Supergirl obsession?”

 “Alex, Kara doesn’t…”

 “Maggie, she’s just going to deliver Jamie’s gifts and head straight back home. She’s heading to Metropolis anyway to visit Clarke.” 

Maggie felt that warmth in her chest again, the one that only seemed to hang around when Alex was being completely perfect.  “Are you sure Kara won’t mind delivering them?”  

 “Of course not.”  Little did Maggie know, Kara’s delivery was going to be a lot more special than she expected.  

 

*** 

They’d shopped for nearly five hours, Maggie agonising over the list that Jamie had sent her, Alex wasn’t surprised when Maggie ended up buying all five items on the list, as well as a collection of Harry Potter novels that Jamie had mentioned a few weeks before.  Alex had insisted on buying Jamie a gift as well, settling on an adorable pair of Supergirl Heelys, she couldn’t wait to show Kara those.  

To be honest, Alex was terrified.  She wasn’t sure how Maggie was going to react to the surprise that she had asked Lucy to organise, hopefully she wasn’t overstepping.  

She had almost slipped up and spilled the beans on Maggie’s gift so many times since last week that Alex could barely trust herself anymore.  So she kept mostly quiet, listening to Maggie sing along to the christmas carols on the television, while they made a huge mess of wrapping everyone’s gifts.  Maggie was halfway through wrapping Kara’s gift, when she heard a knock on the door.  Alex jumped up quickly, “That’s probably Kara, finish wrapping that and I’ll let them in.”

 “I still can’t believe she’s dating Lena Luthor,” Maggie laughed.  She still had to wrap the thank-you gift they bought for Lucy.  

Alex made sure that Maggie was still engrossed in her endeavour when she opened the door.  Kara and Lena were smiling at her, but it was the third person that caught Alex’s attention.  

 “Hey you two!” she gave the smallest of the three a wink, which resulted in the quietest giggle Alex had ever heard.  

 

***  

 

Maggie raised a hand towards the door, attempting to shield the matching ugly sweaters that they’d bought for Lena and Kara as a gag gift.  She’d just added the last piece of tape to the gaudy paper when she felt a light tap on her shoulder.  She let out a chuckle, remembering last week when Kara had pat her on the back, sending her flying off the couch.  "Where's your super strength little Danvers?"   
She was hearing things.  It was the only logical explanation for the giggles that erupted from behind her.  Maggie spun around, trying to comprehend the sight in front of her, "Mom you're such a dork..."   
  
Maggie stared at Jamie, before glancing to Alex, who was watching them with the sappiest look that Maggie had ever seen cross her girlfriends face. Her eyes swept the room, landing on Kara and Lena, Maggie was sure Lena was crying, then finally back to the little girl in front of her.  

 

Maggie wanted to say that it’s been awhile since she’s cried, but seeing Jamie, actually standing in her house, with her friends?  Maggie didn’t bother to cover the sob that broke free.  She placed her hands gently on Jamie’s shoulders, hoping that she wasn’t going crazy and hallucinating.  She couldn’t take her eyes off her little girl.   _ She's so grown up, when did she get so tall? Her braids are halfway down her back now... She's wearing an NCPD hoodie and supergirl hightops? _ __   
Maggie pulled Jamie forward, burying her face into her shoulder.  She felt Jamie do the same, and she could feel her daughter’s tears seeping through her shirt.    
"Mom, stop crying on my hoodie..."    
"You stop crying on my flannel and you’ve got a deal..."   
Maggie let go, watching Jamie wipe her eyes on the sleeve of her hoodie, her grin grew as Jamie’s did until they were both consumed but laughter, because for the first time at Christmas, they're both where they wanted to be.   
  
 “How…?” Maggie felt a hand touch her shoulder, she looked up to see Alex smiling at her, “You did this?”

Alex shrugged, “I helped.  Lucy did all the hard parts, Kara and Lena picked Jamie up from the airport.  You deserve a proper Christmas… Both of you.”  

 “Thank you,” Maggie whispered, she squeezed Alex’s hand and stood up, pulling Jamie to her feet as well, “I don’t know about all of you, but I could totally murder a cheeseburger right now.”

 

***

 

Five days was not long enough.  No where near long enough.  It was a horrible feeling, knowing your time with a loved one was coming to an end, Alex knew that it was affecting the dynamic in Maggie’s house.  Jamie was extra surly, knowing that she had to fly back to Metropolis the next day, she scarcely touched her food and asked to be excused, barely waiting for Maggie’s okay before making her way out to the balcony.  

 

Maggie smiled apologetically at Alex, who rolled her eyes, “It’s fine, Mags.  Go for a shower, I’ll clean up and watch Jamie.”

Alex tidied up the table, and waited until she heard the bathroom door shut before she followed Jamie out to the balcony.  The girl was sitting on the edge with her legs dangling between the bars.     
"Do you mind if I join you?"    


Jamie just shrugged, as if to say, _I’m 9... nobody really listens if I say no anyway._   


"You know, your mom and I are a little worried about you.  Do you need a hug?"   


Another shrug. Alex maneuvered herself into the spot behind Jamie, lifting the girl up onto her lap so both were hanging their legs out over the city.     
"You know, if you want to talk about something, I'm pretty good at keeping secrets.  I mean... you gotta be when you're a secret agent right?"    


That earned her a slight smile.   


"You're not a secret agent... mom said you're FBI..."   
Alex just gave her a soft squeeze, "Mom *thinks* I work for the FBI..."   
Jamie giggled at the thought of her mum being duped by Alex, "Well, you do know Supergirl... you gotta promise not to tell mom..."   


Alex sighed, she didn't want to keep secrets from Maggie, but if Jamie needed a confidant, then she was going to try.     


"I don't wanna go home..."   


It was hardly a whisper.  Alex might have missed it if she hadn't felt Jamie move.  "I don't want to tell mom because if I do... she's gonna fight dad again… Alex what if dad takes me away forever?"   


Alex felt her heart break a little for the girl in her arms, "You know your mom, me and Lucy... we're not gonna let that happen."   
Jamie jerked slightly trying not to cry.  "Dad says mom doesn't want me..."   


"Honey, you know that's not true."  Alex could feel her stress levels rising, she was not qualified for this, but she knew that Jamie needed it.  She wasn’t going to let Jamie down.   


"But she's got you now... and what if you want a baby... then mom forgets all about me..."    
Alex tightened her grip on Jamie, resting her chin on her shoulder, hoping that she could provide as much security as Jamie needed.  She carefully mulled over her next words, knowing that some of her thoughts on this topic, if spoken carelessly would hurt.  "Hey, that is never gonna happen, honey.”  She sighed, dropping a kiss onto Jamie’s head, “I'm not gonna lie to you Jamie... because one day I would like to have a baby with your mom... but only if that baby has a really cool big sister to help take care of them."    


"I'll only be their half sister..." Jamie sniffed a little.    


Alex shrugged, she knew how to help with this part.  "Did you know Kara is adopted?"   


Jamie looked up.  Her brown eyes bright from tears, "But you.."   


"I love her just the same as I would if mom and dad had another baby.  Yeah, it was hard at first..."  Jamie fidgeted, wriggling around until she was facing Alex. 

 "Kara was sad... she just lost her parents... she couldn't speak english... she was such a dork..."   
  
"But you still loved her?"   
Alex smiled, "Yeah... she's still my sister.  So like I said...  Your mom and I aren't just gonna forget about you.  And Lucy is looking over all of mom and dad’s paperwork, to try and get you to visit more..."   


Suddenly, there was a tiny pair of arms wrapped around Alex’s neck, "Thank you Alex."   


"What for?"    


"For taking care of mom...  for letting me visit... I'm sorry I got angry."   


Alex gave Jamie a kiss on the forehead, "You have nothing to apologise for... maybe just... give your mom an extra cuddle tonight.  I think she's a bit sad. Can you do that for me?"   


"Yeah, I think I can do that."


	2. 50

Sneaking out of school was easier than Jamie imagined it would be.  She was small and quick, and her dad didn’t really care where she was.  It was easy, she waited for her nanny’s SUV to round the corner and then bolted like Barry.  She really needed to ask Aunt Kara what _that_ meant.

Her tiny legs burned as she walked, the train station was further than she thought it was, and her backpack was heavy with the extra clothes she’d packed.  She hoped she didn’t miss the train or her three weeks of planning will have gone to waste.  She’d even managed to talk her dad into borrowing the credit card for a “new collection of batman comics”, that ended up going straight toward a one way flight to National City.  She’d planned it so well that her dad had signed the unaccompanied minor form, thinking it was a permission slip from school.  That shows how much attention he pays, she thought bitterly.  

Jamie finally arrived at the station.  She looked up at the timetable, she’d made it just in time for the ten o’clock train on platform 3 that would take her to the airport.  Quickly shouldering her Supergirl backpack, Jamie ran up the stairs and across the walkway to the next platform, tapping her Met Transit card and sitting on a spare bench.

 

___

  


 “Sawyer.”

_“Is this Detective Maggie Sawyer?”_

Maggie straightened up in her chair, pushing her paperwork back into the in tray.  “This is?”

 “ _Ms Sawyer, this is Gail Gretchen, the Principal at Metropolis Prep.”_

Maggie felt her blood run cold, “Is Jamie okay?”

  _“I was wondering if she was with you today?  Jamie never arrived at first bell and Miss Mayer, her current nanny, claims to have dropped her off at the front gates.”_

Maggie looked at the clock, it was already midday, meaning that her baby had been missing for three hours.  “Three hours?  My daughter has been missing three hours and you’re ringing now?  Where is James?”

 “ _Ms Sawyer, we haven’t been able to reach Jamie’s father, but Miss Mayer is on her way to his office…”_

Maggie slammed a hand down, she’d worked long enough in the Force to know the ins and outs of a kidnapping.   _Maggie, chill.  James might have her._  She took a breath, using every bit of strength she’d developed on the job, “Have you notified the authorities?”

  _“Yes, Ms Sawyer.  Police are on their way.”_

 “FBI?”  Maggie sighed at the negative answer, “Look, I’m gonna call my girlfriend and see if she can pull some strings with the Metro feds. I want to be notified the second that James shows up.”  She hung up the phone and took a few steadying breaths before heading towards her Captain’s office.

 

___

 

 “Alex!”

Alex spun around to see Maggie storming through the DEO with three agents hot on her heels, she held a hand up quickly, “Stand down, she’s fine.”  Alex pulled Maggie in close, her face was streaked with tears, her eyes puffy, lips swollen as if she’d chewed them the whole way over, “Hey?  What’s…”

 “Jamie…”

Maggie let out a sob, her entire body shaking with effort as she held herself up.  Alex gently lowered her onto the vacant chair and kneeled down, “Is Jamie okay?”  The words slipped from Alex’s mouth, sounding cool and collected, but right now, her entire being was screaming at her to help Maggie.

 “She’s… She didn’t show up at school today…  James hasn’t seen her since he left for work… I just…”

Alex took a breath.  She needed to keep it together for Maggie, “Okay.  This is… We can deal with this.  I’m gonna call in some favours… When do you want us to fly out there?”

 “Us?”

Alex chuckled, “Mags, Jamie’s your kid… She’s part of you, which means she’s part of me too.  We’re gonna get her back.  Let me call Kara.”  Alex could read Maggie’s grateful expression and kissed her forehead, “We’ll get her back, okay?”

 “Yeah, I trust you,” Maggie said, she pressed a kiss to Alex’s neck.  

 “Kara?  I need you to get hold of Clark.  We need a BOLO on Jamie Sawyer…”

  


***

 

Jamie was exhausted.  The flight was long, but the stewardess was friendlier than her last trip, since Jamie was the only minor flying.  As per protocol, Jamie was the last to disembark, with the flight crew.  She needed to play it cool, because this was going to be the part that she needed her wits for.  

 “So who is coming to pick you up hun?  Kara Danvers?  Huh, I read her article on L-Corp the other day in CatCo…. Really broadened my mindset…”

 Jamie giggled and shouldered her bag.  She scanned the room, spotting a woman, roughly the same height and colouring as Alex's sister.  “Oh! There she is!”

  She ran off, the stewardess calling her name from the gate.  She linked hands with the blonde and turned back to give a small wave.  The blonde woman looked confused for a moment, “Sorry, thought you were my mom.”

 “You lost, sweetie?”

 “No, I'm good.  Thanks for asking though.”

Jamie made it to to front of the airport, she didn't have any money for a cab, and she was sure that her Met Transit card wouldn't work in National City.  

 

_Uh oh._

 

***

 

Kara called in a favour with Snapper the second Alex called about Jamie, she left the office, ducking into the alley behind CatCo and donning her supersuit.  She decided on a whim to head towards Metropolis, doing a fly over the National City Airport, just in case.  Jamie was Maggie’s daughter through and through.  She was smart.  Resourceful.  And she wouldn’t put it past her to have found a way around the unaccompanied minor travel recommendations.  She flew low, hearing tuned for the familiar heartbeat, or even Jamie’s voice.  She had a good feeling.  

Sure enough, she heard a familiar sound coming from the large “Welcome to National City” sign, out the front of the arrivals terminal.  She landed.  Ignoring the confused glances, she walked purposefully towards the sign.  

There was a hole in the side, just big enough for a kid to crawl through, the sniffles were coming from inside.  She quickly checked using her x-ray vision, finding Jamie, curled around her backpack.  

 “Alex, I have her.  She’s safe.”

Kara ignored the relieved sighs on the other end of her comms and focussed on the little girl hiding in the statue.  She knelt down, peeking into the gap, “Jamie?”

 “I’m not going back to dad’s.”

Kara nodded, “I’m not here to take you back.  Your mom is worried about you.”

She held out her hand and helped Jamie to her feet.  “I didn’t mean to worry them… I just… Thanks Kara.”

 “Excuse me?”

Jamie rolled her eyes, “I did some digging when M...Alex told me you couldn’t speak english as a kid.  Also… You got far too excited about my heelies at Christmas.”

Kara grabbed Jamie’s bag and then picked up Jamie, “You are too smart for your own good.  How about you and Aunt Kara get some ice cream before we take you back to Moms.”

One quick costume change later, found the two girls sitting under an oak tree in the park.  Kara and Jamie had created a massive sundae covered in mini marshmallows, gummy worms and rainbow sprinkles.  “So, wanna talk about why you’re in National City instead of at school?”

Jamie shoved a huge scoop of ice cream into her mouth, “Mm-mm.”

 “You’re gonna give yourself a brain freeze.”

 “I don’t care.  So long as I don’t have to talk right now,” Jamie replied, dropping onto the grass.  Kara placed the bowl down and stared out across the park, remembering Eliza’s early attempts at getting Kara to talk about home.  Kara had always worried that she’d upset Eliza.  “How about we… What if we swap?  Stories, I mean.”

Jamie looked back, “Like what…?”

Kara frowned, “Well… I could tell you anything.  About my parents, school… Home…?  Then you tell me something in return.  That way, you don’t have to feel like you’re being a burden.”

Jamie took a deep breath, “The girls at school pick on me.  Dad says it’s character building and I should suck it up… I tried to fit in, but… My skin’s too dark.  My hair’s too long… My mom lives in a different city…”  Jamie watched Kara open her mouth to speak, “Can you just… Not try and make me feel better?  It sucks, but I know you’re on my side.”

Kara sighed, “Okay.  I can take that.  When I came to live with the Danvers, I couldn’t speak english, well, I picked it up quickly, but still had a weird accent.  I begged Eliza and Jeremiah to send me to school with the other kids my age.  But it was too much at first.  Too many sounds, too many lights, smells… I lasted twenty minutes before I locked myself in the art classroom…”

 “My friend Casey is ASD… He told me it’s like sticking your head next to a car speaker while someone else asks you questions in the other ear…”

 “Your friend Casey is smart.”  

Jamie smiled, “Yeah.  They pick on him too.  Because he needs help sometimes to focus…  My dad thought that I was going on a school excursion.  He didn’t even read the sheet I got him to sign so that I could fly unaccompanied.”

Kara rolled her eyes, “How on Earth did you pull this off?”

Jamie smirked, “Solid planning is key to perfect execution.”

 “You sound like Lena.”

Jamie shrugged, “He let me use the credit card to buy some new batman comics, so he wouldn’t need to buy me a birthday gift.   I used it to book the flights, I put you down as my collector, because your name would gather attention from the flight attendants on landing, giving me the opportunity to pretend I saw you and slip away.  I didn’t factor in transport from the airport. So that’s on me I guess.”

Kara couldn’t believe what she was hearing.  Jamie had really thought her plan through.  “You’ve spent too much time playing x-box with Alex…”

 “You owe me a story,” Jamie said taking another large scoop, she squeaked when a gummy worm fell off the spoon and landed on her lap.  

 “I’m older than Superman.”

 “What!?  No you’re not!” except it sounded much more like, _“Wha?! Nyu nu!”_

Kara chuckled and wiped the melted ice cream off Jamies cheeks, “I was 12 when we left Krypton.  I got stuck in the phantom zone… I slept for nearly 24 years so by the time I got here, my baby cousin was all grown up.  He didn’t need me to look after him anymore.”   

Jamie frowned, “You’re so old…”

Kara huffed, “I was in suspended animation?  I didn’t age!”

 “But… So you were 12… then slept for 24 years…” Kara nodded, “And you’re what… 26 now?” Kara nodded again, “You’re 50!”

Kara’s jaw dropped, “I am not!”

Jamie laughed, her tiny body shaking with giggles, “I guess I’ll have to call you grandma Kara now…”  

Kara huffed, her phone signalling a message from Alex.  “You know what…?  I’m telling your mom.  You are a mean child.”

 “Can I see my moms now?”

 _Moms._ Kara smiled, “Sure kid.”

**Author's Note:**

> This came about after a long brainstorming session in a group chat. Fortunately, the idea wouldn't leave my head, and now here's this!


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